What’s the cost of having a pet in NYC?

Having a pet is one of the most rewarding things. However, there are many costs that come with owning a pet. While the costs are low in some places around the world, that isn’t the case for New York City, one of the most expensive places in the world.

The first and most obvious cost is actually buying your pet. Now, this cost is highly variable, but a solid breed of cat or dog can often run you a few hundred dollars. But there is another cost that you will likely incur soon after adopting or buying your pet, and that is getting them neutered or spayed. In New York City, you are normally looking at a bill of over $500 for this little operation at a vet. However, there are also local shelters and low-cost programs around NYC that can do it for a small percentage of that amount, sometimes for even under $50.

So not that you have the initial costs let’s take a look at other costs of owning a pet in NYC.

Food: The amount of food your pet will eat varies a ton depending on their size. A medium dog or cat will likely run you about $120-145. If you have a larger dog, or tend to go for the premium food options, the cost will go up.

Vet Visits: A yearly check-up will cost around $100, but most pets will need at least an emergency visit or multiple in their lives, which can easily run your hundreds (or even thousands) every time.

Walks: If you own a dog in NYC, there likely isn’t enough space in your apartment for it to get the amount of exercise it needs. Also, if you work a standard 9-5 job, there is likely not enough time in the day for you to take it for a couple walks. As a result, you will have to pay a dog walker around $30 an hour or so to walk your dog. If you want to walk your dog once a weekday, this will cost you over $7000 a year, easily the most expensive part about owning a dog in NYC.

Litter: Thankfully, this is a fairly cheap cost and it will only run you $4-5 for a bag of litter that will likely run you about a week. As you can tell, owning a cat in NYC is significantly less expensive than a dog.

The actual costs of your pet will be unique to your preferences and type of pet but no matter what, there is a good chance you will spend thousands and thousands of dollars on your pet every year. Oh, and then there’s also additional costs of grooming, pet-sitting, moving your pet, etc…

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